


Relativity

by Jazzy_Kandra



Category: Mario Story | Paper Mario, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2021-04-01
Packaged: 2021-04-19 08:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21884122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzy_Kandra/pseuds/Jazzy_Kandra
Summary: Time passes differently for different types of beings.After years of absence from the world below, Geno returns to speak with his mortal friends once more.
Relationships: Mario/Peach Toadstool
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Prelude

Time passes differently for different types of beings.  
  
For a fly, a day seems so very long, and, by the end, they become old and die. A whole lifetime measured only in moments. For a man, a day passes by in only a few hours, but for his beloved dog, it seems like an eternity has passed before her beloved master returns home…  
  
Yet for a Star such as I?  
  
Days seem to pass in the blink of an eye, gone before we even noticed they have arrived. Or is that what we tell ourselves because it makes us feel more comfortable with our neglect of mortalkind? Because then we don’t have to be so troubled by it. We’re innocent. It’s just our nature! Indeed, how can you blame a being who lives for millennia to remember his friends whom live and died in less than a century?  
  
I hate myself.  
  
_ I should have been there, anyways. _  
  
It’s neglect. Nothing more, nothing less. Unjustifiable. Despicable. Damnable.   
  
Bowser was the first to go. I didn’t expect that. Koopas—especially the fire-breathing variety—live longer lives than most mortals bound to the world below. Even with Mario beating that jerk up every time he kidnapped Peach or whenever he tried, once more, to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom or to take over the world, Bowser should’ve lived for a couple centuries. Instead, he died of a heart attack at seventy, too young, leaving that young tyke to be king. Tragic, too, despite everything he’s done.  
  
I didn’t realize it until six years after.  
  
Perhaps it was all because I hated him. Perhaps that even explains why…why I didn’t…  
  
Notice.  
  
Want to notice?  
  
Did I even bother to wonder why I never caught wind about his wrongdoings or participation in silly sport competitions anymore? Whispers and rumors of his stupid wishes from Starkids? Stories of how, once more, he had lost yet another go cart tournament and set flame to the other contestants?  
  
I just didn't even care... I...I should've, even if just a little...  
  
But, I only heard tale of it when Mario died. Reports say that it was sudden, unexpected. Peach woke up one morning and Mario, simply, hadn’t.  
  
The doctors didn’t know why.  
  
I was away on mission… It was going poorly; communication blackout and all kinds of stardust. The specifics don’t matter, they’ll just ring hollow again to my ears. They do so still, even now.  
  
I missed the memorial services. The parades in his honor to celebrate his life. Everything.  
  
I should’ve been there. But I wasn’t…  
  
I am simply a failure.  
  
I wasn't there for his death. I wasn’t really there for his life. I didn't know when they were married, how many children or grandchildren (or…great grandchildren?) they may have had. I missed it _ all _ . In the end, can I even call myself his friend?  
  
Can I, who missed so much due to my accursed fear of mortal shortevity, really say something like that?  
  
I shouldn't have let things go for so long.  
  
That's the gist. The burden. The reality.  
  
This is the reason we tell Starkids not to make friends with those of mortalkind. Do not care too much about the mortal wishes you grant (or don’t) or the mortals whom you are sent to help or protect. Be partial. Be cold. Be distant, at least.  
  
Especially: don’t love those who will be gone well before you will.  
  
Because if you do, they’ll meld too deeply into your soul…they’ll _ matter _ .  
  
They’ll make you realize just how _ awful _ we are, because they’re persons too. Memorable. Bright. Short-lived.

A flame that flares brighter than any star.  
  
Care for mortals, we warn, and you will soon wish you hadn’t done so. In the end, you’ll hate yourself…just as I do.  
  
Because we live too long. We forget that they don’t. We pretend that they’ll keep going just like we do. It’s easier to lie than to acknowledge the truth. Mortals are gone in an eye blink to us, not because they’re tragic as other Stars may suggest, but because we, simply, live far too long.  
  
But, Mario and Bowser are not the only mortals I have had the privilege to know.  
  
That’s why I’m going back. I need to see them before they’re gone. I need to see them and those lands again…  
  
I can’t neglect them anymore.


	2. Missing

"The thing is, Geno's missing," Twink, current Star Warrior and former Wish Granter, explained to his young page. "Went up and just disappeared, they said."

“What do you mean?” Sparkle asked. His page floated on her back as she and Twink glided through the crowded streets of Greater Star Haven, barely missing any Star, Star Sprit, or the rare Luma who happened to get in her way. It amazed him, still, that she could do this. What, did the light blue Star have eyes on the back of her head or something? “He just ‘disappeared’? That’s  _ irresponsible _ .”

Said the page who went for  _ ice cream _ while on duty 42 times. Yeah, he’d been counting.

“That’s just what I heard, anyways,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve not been in Star Haven in years, though.”

“Oh?” She leaned forward a little, her back now fully facing any unfortunate passersby. He wished for their sakes that she really  _ did _ have eyes in the back of her head, and not just in jest. If people weren’t dodging her before, they were now. Some even screamed, others screeched, a couple even squawked. A few sent her angry, unseen glares as they shot out of the way.

Inwardly, Twink sighed, shoulders slumping visibly. Why was his page such a dimwit? She’d run into one of the columns on the side of the highway if she wasn’t careful.

Columns didn’t dodge.

“What do you mean, dearie?” she tilted her head to the side and gave him a cute pout.

“You know that!” Twink said, cheeks flushing hot. She was just flirting again…and with her direct superior, no less! “We’ve been in the Andromeda Caelum for decades!”

“You’re good at shouting.”

“Ugh,” he said, waving an arm-fin at her dismissively. “No flater-whatever-it-is between Star Warriors serving together, that sort of thing.”

“I wasn’t. Honestly, you’re so  _ vain _ , Twink,” she said, though he didn’t believe her for one moment. Sparkle flirted with almost everyone once she got over her initial shyness and got to know them. Even ghosts, dear Heavens. “But how in hell does the Knight Commander just ‘disappear’ without someone else noticing it?”

“I don’t…I don’t know…” He breathed out, shaking his head.

“It’s not like HQ has no security,” she said, growing more excited, which in turn, led to more frantic gestures and waving. This time, she hit a poor Sprit’s bit, making it bounce off... Luckily, it didn’t fall all the way to one of the lower level of Greater Star Haven, otherwise, they’d have to play a game of ‘go-fetch-the-starbit’. Grumpily, the Sprit put it back on her head then flipped them off with a spirited rude gesture. “Are you telling me that some ancient Star just waltzed past every guard, knight, and security camera in that place without anyone noticing? What is he, the Ninja Star?”

Twink snickered, but covered his mouth and coughed to hide it. “Why would you like  _ that _ stupid film?” Twink asked, trying his best to regain his composure. “It’s stardust.”

“Hey!”

“You’re a page to a great knight, kid.” Twink smiled, then patted the younger Spirit on the shoulder. “Right?”

“You’re only five years older than me!”

Five years felt like forever around Sparkle. “So?”

“You might be a knight,” she said, sticking out her tongue, “but that doesn’t mean you get to patronize me, bastard.”

“Actually…”

“Don’t.”

“That’s all they told me,” he repeated, coming to a stop next to a set of unused benches situated under two trees aglow with star shaped fruit and shimmering bark. The benches sat on a ledge, overlooking the suns, planets, and space dust which formed the greater Caelum. Humans would’ve called it romantic. Twink just found it ridiculous. Star Spirits didn’t really sit unless they were warriors and had possessed a humanoid form to use in battle or on mission, and these benches were a bit too large for Sprits and Luma (who also didn’t sit) to make use of. And, to be honest, it wasn’t much to look at, just the Heavens.

Odd, space itself had become mundane. He hadn’t thought that possible when he had first arrived in Star Haven decades ago.   
  
Twink summoned a small tablet from the ether, then hung it before him in thin air. Like all denizens of the Caelum, Twink could perform a minor form of telepathy to conduct most basic tasks, otherwise, life would be impossible. You couldn’t lift a spoon and eat ice cream when you were in the shape of a five-point star, much less use a computer or flip pages in a book; such activities were necessities for advanced lifeforms. Twink flipped the device over, showing Sparkle the message HQ had sent him. “See?”

She floated closer, staring intensely at the words on the screen. Her jaw dropped. “Wow. He didn’t even leave a note?”

“Yup!”

“You’re saying they want  _ us _ there to…help investigate what happened?”

“No,” he said, shooting her a side glance. “They want  _ me _ there because they think I might have some kind of lead most likely. You’re here because you’re my page and, therefore, my responsibility. I couldn’t leave you in Andromeda, you’re under age.”

Sparkle rolled her eyes. "We're both under age," she muttered. At this, he hurrumphed. It was only by a few years and… "So, do you gotta answer, old man?"

He nearly rolled his eyes himself, but he was not that  _ young _ anymore. Had his own teacher thought him this much of a headache when he was just a mere trainee?

"No," he replied. “They think I can make answers spring out of thin air.”

“Magic!” Sparkle cheered, spinning in a half circle until her head was upside down. She glanced up at him. “You’re a Shaman, Twinkie.”

“We’re  _ stars _ , Sparkle, we  _ are _ magic,” he said, grabbing her arm-fin and turned her back right-side-up again. “Like, living, breathing magical beings who literally only exist because of magic.”

“Aren’t you poetic.”

“Oh…c’mom!”

Twink took one of her arm-fins, and flew onward through the highways and byways that crisscrossed Greater Star Haven. Truth was, he wanted to get to HQ and then get back out again as soon as possible. Things in Andromeda still weren’t going that well, some of the Knight Captains out there were worried. They feared there might be another breach, and thus, more battles, not just skirmishes. Last time, they had gotten planets involved  _ in _ those battles, and mortals on those worlds had died because the Shadows Beyond that lived in the deep Heavens had decided to wreak havoc on the planets below.

Usually, it didn’t get that bad, though…the Star Warriors often stopped the worst of it.  _ Usually _ the Knight Commander didn’t run off and disappear either. It wasn’t like Geno to shark his duties, especially when Andromeda was only barely starting to recover…

What? Did he want another Smithy on his hands? Another Nightfall? Perhaps a Second Andromeda Incident only six months after the first?   


Why had Geno left  _ now _ , of all times? 

_ Admit it _ , he thought, swallowing hard,  _ you’re scared too. _

Finally, they reached SWHQ, a structure surrounded by graceful stone walls, reinforced by starlit magic. Like most of the buildings in Greater Star Haven, HQ was a great monolith of stone, steel, and glass. It towered far above their heads as though it could scrape the suns in the high Caelum. At its base, beautiful stonework and a set of ancient colonnades hinted that it was one of the older buildings here, only added to as the long years stretched on into eternity.

It was old, it was grand, and Sparkle bounced up and down at the sight of it. And Geno had called  _ Twink _ hyperactive.

Geno needed to meet Twink's page.

“Haven’t you been to HQ before?” he asked, a bit of weariness creeping into his voice.

“Nope,” she replied, still ecstatic. He really shouldn’t blame her, she was new. “Haven’t been to Star Haven either, remember?”

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in reply. Right. She was from Astra, Andromeda’s largest haven. It wasn’t as grand or old as home, but then again, it was only a few hundred lightyears from the edge of settled space. Instead, Twink approached the two poor souls stuck on guard duty at the safest place in the universe. They had possessed two simple suits of sleek armor, one arm a laser, the other, a hand. A bit like the famous doll the current Commander had borrowed from Gaz on two desperate occasions.

“Hey!” said one. “Aren’t you Sir Twink?”

Sparkle gave him a curious look.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Alright, Captain Dustar said to send you right up when you arrived. Bloody star’s gone bonkers—“

Twink nodded, gliding past the guards. “Thanks.”

The great hall of HQ was as grand as he remembered. Two rows of large, white columns lined either side of the long wall. A large set of stain glass windows was at the far end, depicting scenes from myth and legend. Stories like Eldstar fighting the Nightstar long ago, something many had thought just myth until she had returned nearly a half-century ago and taken Misstar as her host. That…had been awful. After shaking himself out of those memories before they could consume him, Twink wondered to the elevator and slipped inside, Sparkle close behind.

“You’re quiet,” he remarked, pressing the button for the 156 th floor. “Is something the matter?”

“I…it’s just a lot to take in,” she said, awestruck. Twink smiled a little. “Wait, how high are we going?”

“Top floor.”

“Are you  _ serious _ ?” she mumbled. Elevator music played in the background, something about a lady buying a stairway to heaven…? He shook his head, humans had such odd ideas sometimes. “Why couldn’t we just  _ fly _ up there?”

“Do you wanna get shot down by lasers?”

“No…”

“How about getting attacked by Clusters?”

“Why the hell do we have those at HQ!?” she asked, eyes widening. Sparkle was too easy to goad. “They’re like…super dangerous!”

“Well, if you get through those…”

“It gets worse…?”

“Of course!” he said, keeping his face as blank as he could. “Obstacle courses. Ambushes by full-knights in said obstacle courses. Fighting through your worse nigh—“

She finally slapped him.

“Hey!” he said, raising an arm-fin defensively. “It’s all true!”

“Right.”

“And anyways, you shouldn’t hit your superior officer!”

That was when the elevator finally pinged, the doors sliding open with a fwoosh. In the rush of sound, Spakle muttered something again about how he was, in fact, barely five years her elder.

The smile that comment brought to his face quickly vanished at the sight before them. Captain Dustar floated outside the elevator, his crimson face dark and grim as he paced in the waiting room outside of the Commander’s office. The secretary, Twink noted, was missing. So, too, were any other knights or pages.

“Captain?”

The Star Spirit in question came to a stop. “I see you still can’t obey direct orders, Sir Twink.”

Twink flinched at Dustar’s words. Yes, he could hear vague accusations buried beneath them. In truth, he often thought the same things himself... “Sir…I…”

“Didn’t I tell you to come alone?”

Carefully, he nodded. Frightened, Sparkle slid behind one of the leather couches despite that Dustar had already noticed her presence.

“And yet, you brought another here…”

“First, as I recall, it was worded as he request,” Twink said, squaring his shoulders and purposely meeting the Captain’s odd golden eyes with as much confidence as he could muster given the current situation. “Not a command.”

“True enough.”

“Second, I think you’re lying,” Twink stated, keeping his voice stern just as his mentor had taught him. “The Commander left, sure, everybody knows that, but you guys know why, or, at the very least, all of those higher up in the knights do. So, why call me back? Andromeda is short on knights and shorter still on hope.”

Alright, that might have been a bit overkill. Sometimes, you needed to do that to get your point across, or at least, that was what Geno had always claimed. After all, exaggeration fixed Star Road.

“That is exactly why he can’t go missing at this time.”

“I’m sure he knows that.”

Didn’t he? Geno wasn’t one to play fast and loose with his duties…even if that meant neglecting his own wellbeing and refusing to visit his friends when he did have  _ less _ to do. All of this, Twink was beginning to realize, made little since. People, and especially ancient Star Spirits, didn’t generally change their habits overnight.

“But he’s gone,” the knight said, his temper rising slightly. Just a bit more, and it would explode. “Gone when we need strong leadership most. Gone when—“

“Sir?” Sparkle said in a small voice. Twink was amazed that the younger Star had found any strength to speak at all, so much for being the heavenly equivalent of a shy country bumpkin around strangers.

“I’m not done venting, page.”

“Who would be important enough that the Knight Commander would just…abandon everything like this?”

Who, not what.

Dear heavens.

“When did Mario die?” Twink asked.

Confused, Sparkled glanced back at him. It made sense, of course, that a Star from another galaxy didn’t recognize that name. It still felt odd that she hadn’t at least heard of  _ him _ , though. Then again, she could be a bit airheaded.

“Six months ago,” Dustar answered. He turned to glance out the giant windows that lined the walls of the large waiting room, giving a striking view of the city and the heavens both. “We couldn’t tell him then.”

_ When the Andromeda Incident was still going full thermal _ , Twink thought, his stomach twisting into a knot.  _ Dear heavens, if only I had been stronger… _

Then it might have not gone so far or for so long. Geno had told Twink it wasn’t his fault. That the breach was bound to happen soon, anyways, and the Shadows Beyond would have gotten through regardless. That he couldn’t keep blaming himself for what had happened…despite that he had been in charge of that mission…that Geno had been forced to get directly involved because he wasn’t really ready for such authority and…

That it was really Geno’s fault instead, because he was their Commander and Twink, simply, was not.

With a chill, Twink wondered if his mentor wished he could take back those words.

“I’ll go.”

Dustar smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant look on the red knight. “That was what I was hoping you would say,” he said, clapping a fin on Twink's back. He flinched again, but masked it with a stiff nod. “And your page?”

“She’s coming with me.”

He would not let her out of his sight, not less something terrible happened to her as well. He did not want another death on his conscious.

“Wait. Where are we going?” Sparkle asked, uncertain.

“Planet-side,” Twink replied. “Earth.”


	3. Inheritance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays all and stuff, here's an early present. <3

An old Toad sat on a stool in an old inn polishing the old bell that otherwise usually occupied the front counter. He planned to pass his inn on soon, just as his mother had passed it onto him, and his grandfather had given it to her. On and on through seemingly endless generations, his own life had been just the same as his foremothers and -fathers, as would one of his daughters be like his…

Except in those two glorious moments when that path, for a time, had diverged. The first time, he was much too young to truly comprehend it. His favorite toy had come alive, any child's dream, certainly, but better still, that toy went on to save the world from the bad guys. But then, his hero became a lifeless toy once again, and life moved on. He would not understand that his urgent wish for a protector and best friend had helped to cause those events until the next time they met and a five-point star knocked his window and asked to take his old, favorite toy again. 

He hadn't been there. His mother had, however, and had later told him of those events. He was in the woods outside of Rose Town, looking for the mysterious ailment that had infected his only parent. The Star and another one of his kind called Twink possessing two of his toys, had gone straight to the woods at his mother's request, all because she had feared he might run into something he couldn't handle. He was just an innkeeper's son, after all, not some hero out of legends. People like him were not supposed to go on adventures.

But even still, those events had lead to him joining forces with Geno, Twink, and the others and saving the world anyways while Mario was distracted by someplace called Rogue Port. Birth did not mean destiny, he had told his children, despite that he had chosen to become an innkeeper anyways.

Someone, after all, had to keep this old place running.

Placing the bell back on the counter, Gaz slipped his glasses back on his nose, and briefly glanced at the dark night outside the window. He caught no glimpse of a Star of course, not that he was expecting one. Geno hadn't reappeared in more than fifty years, he had come to accept that he would never see his old friend again, and perhaps, he didn't need to. He had several friends of his own now, and he was more than strong enough to protect himself, just as Geno had told him right before he left again.

He just wished…

_ No, don't do that. _ Wishes, after all, were powerful things, and he understood better than most how dangerous they could be when they were granted and came true. A man needed to make wishes with care, less they… He heard the last inevitable knock of the night before bed, a little faint, but one could not begrudge the weak and elderly from needing a place to stay. Heavens knew, he would be joining their ranks soon enough, but fifty-five was not so old yet... _ Here we go. _

Along with that thought, he plastered on his best smile, taking a sip of evening tea. "We're still open," he said, calling from behind the front desk. "Feel free to enter whenever it pleases--"

The door swung open as though propelled by a mighty force, sparks and dust flying ever so briefly when it slammed against the wall. For a brief moment, he thought it was Bowser returned, come to visit his favorite innkeeper thus making the reports of his death wildly exaggerated. It would not be the first time. This was expected, Bowser dying of a heart attack …? Completely ridiculous. He…

He gasped.

It was not the shadow of the late king outlined in cool moonlight that stood in the night just outside his front door. Instead, a blue Star with an orange fringe floated in the doorway to the inn, aglow with a faint light in the darkness.

"My apologies," said the Star, his bright burgundy eyes glanced briefly at the door that now swung lazily on one hinge then back to the still gawking Gaz. "I always seem to be destroying something whenever I first visit this inn. Is a door more expensive than a glass window or that antique flower vase?"

Gaz reached for his glasses and vigorously cleaned them on his vest. This...this couldn't be real...no matter how much he had secretly wished for this day, and, he was sure, Prince Mallow had too. But when he slipped them back on, the Star was still there, a pronounced frown on his face.

Finally, Gaz gave Geno a mute nod.

The Star glided up to the desk. "It's been...sometime, Gaz," he said. This close, Gaz thought he spotted traces of silver thread among the orange bangs, but that was most likely a trick of the harsh electrical lighting inside the inn. Immortals did not age, at least not like normal people did. Sure, someone like Eldstar _ looked _ old, but Gaz was certain that wasn't a result of _ time _, at least not exactly, it was things like stress, position, and expectation. Or something. Mallow's grandfather had tried to explain it to him once, long ago, but Gaz had promptly fallen asleep on the lilypad. They made quite comfortable beds, actually. "I wouldn't mind a chance to catch up…"

"But you don't have much time," Gaz replied, recovering from his initial shock. "What happened? Did Smithy come back?"

"What?" The Star blinked. "No."

"Nightfall?" Gaz asked. "Some other horror from the deep?"

He shook his head. "Nothing so dire," he answered. "I...I know I am terribly late, but I just heard that Mario died."

The grandfather clock ticked in the resulting silence these words brought. Gaz remembered the funeral, even he had been surprised that the Star Warrior hadn't shown his face. He understood something of the duty that bound Geno to Star Haven after their last journey long ago. Even still, that excuse felt trite and hollow, and he had feared that their immortal friend held little real care for them. After all, they were just mortals. Moths that were here one season but gone the next, passing away so quickly they should be _ proud _ that an Immortal star had taken interest in their puny lives at all.

Now, he knew, Geno had simply forgotten. That didn't make him feel all that much better, but...it was a start.

"I don't need to hear your reasons," Gaz decided, from the look of relief he received, this seemed to be the best call. "You want to borrow the doll, right?"

"If he is still available," the Star replied. "Though…" He glanced over at the bookshelves in the corner. They were only filled with books and a few odd trinkets, Gaz knew, thus the question that wrinkled the Star's brow was inevitable. "I see no sign of him." 

"He's an antique, now." Geno stared at him with his mouth agasp then clasped it close only to gasp slightly again, as though he were both shocked and appalled by this news. Gaz placed a hand on his thickening waist and laughed. "It's been nearly fifty years since you first stole him, you're lucky he's even still around, given how rough I played with it back then."

"I suppose," he muttered, his lips flattening to a straight line. "Well?"

"And pretty in rough shape," came the response. "I could get one of the toys I keep for when my grandki--"

"Grandchildren?" Geno sputtered, so loud he was nearly shouting. "You have grandchildren? Oh Heavens." The Star slumped down to the floor, his face full of dismay.

Gaz grinned. "Ten."

"_Ten. _" 

"Well, Goombrietta did decide to have a large family, you know," he said. The Star gave him a sour look. "Oh, don't give me that, she's only had two so far."

A sigh of relief followed, then, paused half-way through. "Wait," he began, "_ Goom_brietta?"

"Adopted, like the others," Gaz said, folding his arms. "Never did get married, that sort of thing doesn't interest me."

And no lady had seemed all that interested in a marriage where the couple would remain just friends.

"Ah, yes, I seem to recall a rather disappointed Bombette," the Star said, tone now flat. The Bob-omb had been one of their companions, along with Watts, Mallow, and Twink, on their journey to confront Nightfall, the corrupt and insane Star Spirit who had aimed to take revenge on Eldstar by destroying the Haven he loved and corrupting the wishes it granted. Upon hearing his old companion's name, Gaz swallowed, quickly glancing behind Geno just in case the fiery Bob-omb was standing in the doorway. Luckily, no aging pink Bob-ombs were to be seen, he whipped his handkerchief across his brow. "She did like you, after all."

"But she...she's a _ bomb _," Gaz said, shaking and slightly terrified still. He...he hadn't even noticed, the very idea... "Completely ridiculous. Why would she…"

The Star gave him a one-shouldered shrug. "As a friend." Delivered, of course, in a perfect deadpan.

"_ Stars _, do you always have to be like this?" This time, however, he guessed he deserved it for his earlier jest...maybe.

"Yes," he said. "My request still stands."

"I was planning to give him away as an heirloom," the Toad muttered, but walked out behind the counter and flipped the Open-sign hanging on a peg in the window over so that it read "Closed". Although, that seemed rather pointless considering the broken door. "_ You're _harder on him than I ever was, the worst he suffered damage is your fault. After you fought Smithy, he had a hand blasted clear off."

The Star grimaced...even as they began to head up the stairs.

"And then when we fought Nightfall…" Gaz glanced over his shoulder back at the Star. "We were all sure you died for a second."

The Star closed his eyes, then, carefully took a shaky breath. 

"But you repaired him each time," Geno said after a moment passed. "Right?"

"As best as the toymaker could with a giant hole through the doll's chest," he replied, causing the Star to wince. "You're sure you won't be going off to do anything dangerous?"

"I'm just here to pay respects," Geno said. "Not save the world. With any luck, I'll bring him back in a few weeks."

Gaz leaned back against the door to his own rooms where the Geno doll and the other antique toys were kept in a nice, neat glass case, safe from harm and dangerous Stars. 

"No."

Geno frowned. "Except?"

"If I go with you," he said, smiling like the boy he once had been. "Goombrietta can take care of the inn while I'm gone…maybe even, it's time that she get her inheritance." He scratched his chin in thought.

"And the door?"

"I'll give her enough to fix it." Yes, that wasn't responsible, but, he stretched out a hand. "What do you say to one more adventure, old friend?"

The Star took it and gave it a form shake...despite having no hands. "Let's get this show on the road."

It was time to take another path one more time. Still grinning from ear to ear, Gaz tossed open the door.


	4. Possession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's get this story back on the road

They stepped into the living quarters on the third floor that had long been the home of Gaz and his mother, and, Geno assumed, then Gaz and his adopted children. Lit dimly by a single floor lamp in one corner, the small living room was more than a bit cramped. Next to the door, the large leather sofa was smashed between a set of oak coffee tables, its two matching chairs barely fit along the right-hand wall, and the long table in the middle only left a narrow walkway between itself and the furniture. The only thing not squished in was the fine display case on tge opposite wall.

Gaz had left at least six feet between it and the other furniture. Made of some kind of deep, red wood, it had a steady wooden bottom with a pair of two cabinets on either side of a stack of drawers. On top of this, a series of four tall glass doors protected three shelves, the first two filled with fine porcelain plates and bowls, but the last was far more diverse. A collection of photos sat there, displaying different individuals: Gaz's mother and father with their infant son, Gaz himself with Mario and the others shooting a thumbs-up at the photographer, and pictures of all of Gaz's children and grandchildren. Three girls, Geno noted. The first was a Goomba with blonde pigtails in red ribbons, the second was a Koopa with a mohawk and pink shell, and the third, a tan Toad in a yellow dress. The remaining ten...Geno floated up to the shelf and recounted.

Heh. Gaz hadn't been lying about the ten grandkids, though one was a grey Yoshi. 

"They're cute, right?" Gaz asked, a proud smile spreading across his face, his hands behind his mushroom top. The fuchsia strips had dulled with time, and what hair poked out had gone white. He  _ looked... _ mature, something the Star still couldn't quite comprehend. How could someone so young be so old already? Yes, he had always understood from a technical perspective that even the longest lived mortals only existed a scant few centuries, but to see the plague of senescence infect the youngest of his mortal friends so gravely…it made him feel every one of his six thousand years. 

Again, he cursed himself for staying away so long. He had known this would happen.  _ He had known _ . And it had scared him so damn much that he had fled behind stacks of paperwork, countless battles, and other obligations like fixing Star Road, rebuilding the Knights, and reinforcing the borders of settled space. Sure, it had all seemed so important back then, but in the back of his mind, he knew the truth.

He was hiding from the mortality of his truest family and friends. He had gotten so busy these past fifty years not because he wanted the best for the Caelum and its denizens, but because he wanted to take shelter in his work. Seeing the effects of his earthly friend's mortality made this as clear as day, he had been running from the truth. That burden settled on his shoulders, and his shoulders slumped forward.

"Why the sour look?" Gaz, somehow having crossed the room silently despite his now portly size. He must have learned that trick from Mario. "Oh, ah, right, the doll's right here."

Gingerly and with great care, Gaz took the doll from its place of honor on the top shelf. His cape was frayed at the edges and had a few small patches sewn into the cloth. His cap, too, had seen better days. But what was worse than all this was the old doll's body. It's right hand was a paler wood than the rest except his lower torso, which had been replaced as well. Most of the original dark wood was nicked, marred, and beaten, he didn't recall it being in such bad shape before, but then again he had been in so much pain after that final attack…

_ Why am I insisting on using him again? _

Gaz smiled. "The toymaker that fixed him up back then couldn't match the wood, you see," he said, then placed the doll on the floor. The aging Toad stepped back, then gave him an expectant nod. "It's all yours, bud."

His grin spread across his face. In that moment, he looked like the young Gaz once more, bright eyed and filled with hopes and unsung dreams of having a friend and protector. The Wish the Stars had granted Gaz long ago was not so simple as the boy had thought, for no true wishes ever were; indeed, it held all his dreams and all his secret fears wrapped up in a simple package and then sent heavenward. The half-orphan who had no father or friends, afraid he would always be alone. The boy who wanted to be  _ more _ than just an innkeeper's son and go on adventures, filled with more courage than anyone could've ever imagined. The Council of Star Spirits, when they heard this wish could not be granted by the powers resting in Star Road alone, had turned to the Rod itself and, for the first time in a thousand years, chosen to grant a wish with its immense power.

They had thought it a relatively simple and safe wish, they had forgotten why they did not use the Star Rod so readily. It had intertwined lives in ways unexpected, it had changed fates in ways unforeseen and, most likely, allowed Smithy to break Star Road and bring about unprecedented disaster to Star Haven. To say his soul did not still ache due to those events would have been the grandest of lies, but...he would not change them if it would mean he would never have encountered Gaz, Mallow, and all the rest. Even given all he had lost. His old family, friends...

But he could not exchange the newt set for the other. Time couldn't be reversed. For them, he would use the doll, they would expect it.

Taking a deep breath, he tapped its chest, imparting the first rays of life into old, dead wood with a jolt of magic. Then, he whirled around it once, before diving inside its head and alighting in its chest. As it grew, his awareness grew with it. He was no longer just the five point Star Spirit that existed moments before, he was now the doll as much as it was him. He occupied every limb, his power giving it life anew. Geno took a breath, and opened his eyes, then, as always when he chose to possess something, he suddenly grew dizzy and disoriented.

And this time, he rammed straight into the case where the old toys and other heirlooms were kept. One thump later, he was lying in a pile of shattered glass, old toys, and broken pottery. A headache started to throb at his temples and his whole body ached as though he had been smashed to splinters again by Nightfall. By the Heavens, this felt even worse than usual.

"Ugh."

"My mom did say it was bad, you know," Gaz said, bending over him. Geno raised a hand to cover his eyes, the Toad's voice was much too loud. "But I never thought it was  _ this _ bad."

The world still spun. A part of him wished he could just sleep for the next month, but he had a deadline. Responsibilities and duties, even if coming back hadn't been exactly the most responsible thing he had done this century. But he could trust the others to hold the fort while he was gone, despite what was yet happening over in Andromeda.

And well, he had always been a bit of a contrary spirit. A tendency to rebel when young had transformed into a penchant for creative solutions and free-thinking later in life. He wasn't exactly like that anymore, a person in his position couldn't afford to be, but when Mario had died...an old spark of that rebel spirit had shined through.

"Geno?"

But at the moment, he wished it hadn't. The light was too bright, despite that only a single lamp was on in the cramped living room. He shut his eyes, but even closed, it felt like the whole inn was rising and falling akin to a ship sailing stormy seas. Gripping his new stomach and rolling onto his knees, the vomit mixing together in his stomach arose to his throat, and a moment later, he threw up an amalgamation of his last meal, some black substance, and specks of dimly glowing sawdust. It reeked something fierce, but the room stopped moving and his stomach no longer churned. Gaz backed up against the wall, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"That…"

"Is why we tell new recruits  _ never _ to possess badly damaged units," he said, sitting back on his shins. Dim, yellow starlight leaked through the cracks between his knee joints when bent so tight, yet another sign that the days he could use this old doll were indeed numbered. "It takes longer to adjust."

If only that were the whole of it. 

The young Toad nodded.

"Could you get me a cup of tea?" He pulled the cape around himself tightly, despite that the thin, fraying material provided little in the way of warmth. 

Leaning against the remains of the display case with his head rested against the cool, red wood he heard heavy footsteps thud against the wooden floorboards off to fulfill his request. In the welcome silence that followed, his headache began to ebb. 

_ By the heavens, _ he thought.  _ You're an impulsive idiot, ♡𝅘𝅥𝅮!?. _

He smiled bitterly at that thought. It sounded a bit like Ambar. Long dead, long buried, like so many others. Mario had joined them now, only a memory, only stardust, only another failure. His life was marked with them just like the numerous scars on the surface of this doll he now possessed. He breathed out a sigh, and crossed his legs, the joints actually creaking as he did so. It was best not to let his thoughts linger, however. He had to refocus.

Thus, he sent forth a spark of magic, examining the damage to the unit and how his own lifeforce intermixed. It didn't matter that he already knew the answer. It was the ritual he needed, performed a thousand times in a thousand separate units, including twice in this one. Of course, none of the others held such a special place in his heart. Of course, the first two times he had done it inside the doll were on his way to complete an important mission, even explaining to a far younger Twink why it was necessary to always check these things.

The thought of his former pupil made him frown, slightly. They hadn't departed on the best terms, had they? He was still angry. Frustrated and more than that, afraid and so worried his heart nearly bursted. That child... But he buried those thoughts and feelings with the rest, the hum of his magic growing, syncing body and star.

In trance, eyes yet closed, he sensed Gaz's spirit rather than saw or heard the Toad return. It was dimmer now than it once had been, but still strong. Radiant. Courageous. Kind. All the true makings of a hero.

Just as Mario's had been.

"You're...ah...all glowy."

Geno popped open an eye. "I'm a Star," he remarked, dryly. But allowed the light to fade away. He smiled, taking the tea the Toad handed to him, the warm mug offering more comfort than the first shaky sip. "Glowing comes with the territory."

"Can you stand?"

"Eventually." Another sip, this one more steady...but it seemed his taste buds weren't working this time around. At least not yet, anyways. He really hoped he would get them back soon, texture alone would make eating a far less pleasant experience. "You weren't expecting we would leave tonight, right?"

Sure. He had  _ also _ implied they would, but that was before he realized what poor shape  _ they _ were in.

The Toad tried his best to hide his duffle bag behind his back with very little success, a blush rising to his cheeks. "But, in the past…"

"My mission was far more urgent," Geno said, hoping that would be enough to end any further questions on that topic. He took a far longer draught, but tasted nothing but heat. Still. "Don't you need to inform your daughter of your plans?"

"Well…" Turning red, Gaz glanced to the side.

"You weren't just thinking of turning it over to her without saying goodbye, right?"

"I…maybe." He shifted his feet, nervous. "I thought it would be easier. It's not like we'll be gone all that long."

"Don't. You. Dare." Geno glared, squeezed the handle of the cup until yellow starlight leaked out from between the joints. Gaz flinched as though he had been physically struck. "You never know what might happen. It could be something you live to regret…"

He himself might regret not speaking with Twink before he ran off. He hadn’t wanted to speak with him then because of what had become of Mario, what had happened back home, and had thus let his emotions and impulses get the better of him. 

Hadn't he already learned this lesson once? Why did he have to keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again? 

"And I'd like to meet her," he said, changing tactics. It seemed the right move, given that Gaz perked up at his words. "After all, it's the closest thing I…"

He let his words fade, not daring to finish the thought. Geno finished his tea, glad he could taste its bitterness at last.


	5. Goombrietta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey there! Thank you all for the kudos. I think it got almost ten since last chapter, I was shocked! It was such a lovely surprise. Thanks again...!
> 
> Anyway. Let's get this show on the road. ❤

Morning came much too soon, if one were to ask Geno, and with the sun's all too bright rays came unexpected aches and pains. His hip hurt from sleeping on it the wrong way (or so he told himself, though he actually awoke laying on the _ other _ side). His chest felt stiff, and a few coughs expelled sawdust from its confines. He grumbled to himself at the sight of sparkly dust bunnies. Great. Just great. Even rest hadn't exactly fixed things.

Thus, Geno closed his eyes again. Maybe a few more hours of sleep would ease his headache, too. It wasn't as bad as yesterday's, but that all too bright sunlight leaking through the dark curtains…

"Father!"

_ Oh Eldstar, _ Geno thought, raising a hand to cover his eyes. _ Maybe we should have left last..._

"Why in Underwhere is the front door--"

"I can explain, Bree!"

"You better!" Something _ snapped _ . Or, more likely, thudded considering the resonating _ ouch _ from Gaz. Either way, he threw the comforter over his head. Sounds were too loud this morning, his ears too sensitive, and blocking his eyes should help. That might not be logical, but _ screw _logic. "Or...I will." Whack. "What! What do you mean Geno is here?"

At least the thudding had stopped.

"He's real?"

That was when he heard footsteps, like a Thwomp hitting the hard brick floor of Bowser’s Castle, thumping up the stairs.

"Yeah. He is."

"Uh huh."

He groaned to himself. _ Today...I wish I wasn't._

The door was thrown open then, and he heard Goombrietta huff, then she pulled back the covers. Rude. What if he had…

"Father!" she said, whirling around to face the Toad. "He's naked!"

Said the Goomba only wearing bright red bows in her hair. _ This _ had never been a problem before…it wasn't like Stars wore clothes, either. Just because he was shaped like a man didn’t make him one!

"So is the doll…" Gaz blanched, as though he just now had realized what she said was true. Geno rolled hus eyes. Really, Gaz had had this toy for _how_ many years, now? Forty? "Ummm... Ah... Crap?"

"See!" she said, waving vaguely in Geno’s direction.

"Could you two stop shouting?" he asked, voice scratchy and dry. "I didn't realize innkeepers pounded down their guests' doors these days..."

He sat up, grabbing his blue cape from the bed stand and wrapping it around his shoulders. "Better?"

The girl, instead, gasped, clearly appalled. "Absolutely not!" He sighed at her words. "How could you let him wear _ that _?" She glared at Gaz, the Toad stumbled, backing up against the small dresser and nearly knocking the lamp on top onto the floor.

"It's not...it came with the doll!"

"Fifty years ago!" 

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head, looking askance at the far wall.

"Give it here."

Geno frowned, staring at the Goomba. "Did you not just say…"

"Give."

He shrugged, unwrapped the frayed cape, and gave it to the Goomba. With some effort, she unrolled the cape before her, her sharp eyes now focused on the blue material.

"I don't think even Kim could save it," she said, poking at one of the several holes in the fabric with her foot. "Kimberly sews, if ya weren't aware."

He shook his head.

"And he shouldn't have to wear some moth eaten piece of crap." 

"But...but...it's a...a family heirloom!"

She began to rolled it back up, pulling each edge with teeth and feet until it formed a small square. "I'm taking it over to Kim's," she declared, and threw the folded up cape into the satchel tied under her chin. Or waist. Perhaps it was both. Goomba anatomy still didn’t make much sense to him. "She'd be happy to fix ya up a new one, Mr. Geno. You were her hero as a kid."

He raised a hand and slowly lowered it. "There's no need for formalities," he said, looking up at the ceiling as though he could see the sky it concealed. "Trust me. I get enough of that up there."

Suddenly, her cheeks matched the red ribbons in her hair. "NO. No. _ Absolutely not _ ." She shook her head furiously. "That's _ way _ too weird. You're like...like…"

He smiled a little, trying for charmingly disarming.

"Nope!" He guessed that didn't work. "It would be like calling...calling _ Frogicus _ anything but gramps!"

Geno schooled his features blank at this news. Of all things, Mario and Bowser were gone, but Frogicus still lived. By the heavens. Wait. Had she just put him in the same age group as… 

Geno crossed his arms.

"Oh man. It's the _ look _." She all but swooned. "Wow. You really are him."

He flattened his gaze. That just made it worse.

"OMS. Right," she said, actually bowing slightly. "Ummm. Better get on the street."

"On the road," he said, helpfully, shooting Gaz a disapproving gaze over her head. How could he have taught his children the wrong catchphrase. It was _ never _"street".

"Uh huh. Road. Better get on the road," she said, then, slightly dazed, she smirked at her father. "You had better have breakfast started when I get back. I'll be bringing the _ whole _ fam."

Gaz paled, but slowly nodded. She, mercifully, shut the door on her way out.

Geno leaned against the bed. Exhausted.

"See, I told you."

"She's a spitfire," Geno said. His stomach growled. Well, that was a better sign than last night, he supposed. And luckily, his headache had mostly fled. "It's wonderful."

"And _ tiring _." But despite these words, Gaz grinned. Sure, there was some relief in it, but most of it was pure pride. "Right. Well. Breakfast won't make itself." He paused. "But luckily, I know my kids."

"Do you need help?"

The Toad froze...and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No thanks," he said too quickly. "Ah...ummm...you should rest. Yeah. Just rest. I'll be finished before you can say jiffy."

He opened his mouth to say just that, but Gaz fled the guestroom before he spoke, leaving Geno to stare at the now-closed door and to listen to the mourning dove greet the dawn outside his window.

_ Really _ , he mused, shaking his head. _ My cooking isn't _ that _ bad _.

A clear memory of Twink spitting out the eggs he had fried one morning much like this one, however, flashed through his mind. Then, another one, when Gaz had thrown a lobe of rock-hard _ something _ at a bright green blob.

Alright. It _ might _ be a little disappointing. He sighed, then pulled a magazine from the drawer, noting the photo of a powerfully built black Yoshi with red hair on the cover. The actual article, he saw, was an interview about his _ father _, apparently. Putting the magazine down, Geno wondered, just briefly, who the Great Gonzales had been…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added two more chapters as the tale grew in the telling, as the old master scribe would say...


	6. Lost

“I swear that is the same_ exact _tree we saw ten minutes ago!” Sparkle all but screamed in his ear, glaring up and down and across at the largest oak Twink had ever seen.

Not that he was an expert on trees, or was certain that was even the correct species. But this one surely had them all beat, given its trunk was ten fully grown Star Spirits across, and its hundreds of branches had grown so long and heavy they reached for the ground instead of the sky. And bough, bole, and roots were covered with moss and mushrooms which blinked at them when they passed by.

“I mean, this is _ a forest _,” he replied. “There are lots of trees, you know.”

She zoomed in front of him, hovering so close to his face he could feel the heat of her breath on it. “Why in Underwhere can’t we _ just _ fly there?”

He frowned, looking to the side and spotting more trees, underbrush, and mushrooms. He didn’t want to say. But, well, Sparkle was born in the Caelum. She’d only been planet-side a couple of times, and each time she had possessed a unit and been there for less than a day. She just wouldn’t know.

“Ummm. Gravity.”

“But. We. Can. Fly.” She flew closer and closer with each word, until their head fins all but touched. “Like those flippy-flappy things.” She gestured vaguely at a sparrow flying through the highest branches of the gigantic oak tree.

“Birds, you mean?”

“Yeah,” she chirped, zipping through the branches and heading further under the boughs of the great oak. With a frown, Twink followed. “The insect things!”

He was _ certain _ he was not _ this _ bad the first time...but, he had been an orphan raised in Starborn Valley on Earth. The Ninji had claimed he was born there, but that was a lie to protect the many Starkids in their care from the truth: Smithy had killed their parents, along with countless other Stars when he and his minions tore Star Road asunder. The Ninji, he had learned much later, had agreed to care for the orphaned Starkids so that the survivors of that catastrophe could rebuild their home. So, of course, he wasn’t as bad as Sparkle...even if Geno liked to insist otherwise.

Sparkle, on the other hand, had had two loving parents, being born in a different galaxy and thus far removed from the tragedy which had befallen Star Haven. To her, it was just another yarn of a far and distant place. She’d read about the disaster and its subsequent events in history books in school, most likely. It was why, despite being only five years younger, he couldn’t help but see her as little more than a kid. Even after the Andromeda Incident had ruined part of _ her _ home and had killed so many… Maybe it wasn’t fair, but it was hard not too.

Sparkle exuded naiveté. Innocence. It was just who she was.

He didn't find it adorable at all. Nope.

“Both birds and bugs are _ also _ affected by gravity. And physics. And wind resistance. And the former evolved to fly long distances on Earth.”

He took a breath, wishing for his old mentor’s patience as he studied a sunbeam falling through the canopy of green leaf and branch. The light startled a sleepy mushroom, but the thing blinked at the Star then ran beneath an overgrown root, scurrying for the great trunk of the oak tree. He shrugged, but supposed he wouldn’t want to fight a Star Spirit either, if he were just a little ‘shroom. Even with their powers limited in this form, it wouldn't stand a chance.

“Basically," Twink comtinued. "We can’t _ just _ take to the sky and woosh east to Rose Town. Maybe if we had landed there instead of here, but, ah...”

“Admit it,” she began, floating back towards him, her eyes flattening into two sharp lines. “You have bad aim. I’ve seen ya at target practice, can’t shoot even a _ still _ target, let alone a moving one!”

“Hey!” he said, blushing. He was better with a staff or sword. Not every Star could be Geno. “I...I can shoot things! And anyway, this is really, really, close to Rose Town.”

Technically.

“Uh huh."

“Yes! Yes! It is. In fact, it’s right out side it!”

“Suuuuuuure,” she said, again coming too close. He brushed her away, resulting in a quick but cute pucker. Not that he thought her _ cute _ or anything. She was his page. That...that just wasn’t allowed. “If that’s the case, then why have we flown through this tree’s array of branches _ six _ times?”

“Well…” His cheeks flared, and he floated behind a large, upturned root. “I...I...It’s not called the Forest Maze for _ nothing _, Sparks.”

“Forest? _ Maze?! _ ” Stars above, could she stop yelling? She might wake up a Wiggler, or something worse. He didn’t want to think about the _ worse _ things. Last time he came here with Geno had been bad enough.

“Calm down. Sparks. Please.” He placed a fin on her shoulder. She glared back in reply. Sparkle hated it when he patronized her...even though that _ was _ in his job description. “No point waking up the dark things that might lurk deep in the woods, right? This place is bad after sunset. We’ll make it to Rose Town before then. Hopefully.”

“And _ who’s _fault would it be if we don’t?” she said, but her voice, thank Heavens, had quieted. “Yours. You got us lost, Twink.”

He lowered slightly, brushing the upturned root with his forehead. “Yeah, I know,” he said with a sigh, looking aside briefly. A few more mushrooms were blinking at them now from root, bough, and in shadow, but none attacked. None moved. But the eyes, black and beady, were disconcerting. “Luckily it’s still day. This place is a nightmare after dark, but the worst thing that’s up right now are Buzzers and these pesky walking mush–Sparks. Ah. What’s with the face?”

She had paled to an icy shade of blue, eyes growing wide with fright. Slowly, she lifted a shaky fin and pointed to something behind him…

He did not want to look. Sparkle had enough experience that she shouldn't spook easily, considering what they had faced together back in Andromeda. What could have...

Something tapped his shoulder. An orange leaf fell past his face. Okay, she _ had _never experienced autumn before, as far as he knew. That could be frightening and strange, right? Right?

_ No, that’s stupid, you idiot _ , Twink thought. _ C’mon. You’re the Knight. It’s time to _ act _ like one for once in your stardusted life... _

He swallowed, then turned. Then screamed. The oak had grown a web of crimson eyes that shown bright in the now darkened wood. Then it grinned, displaying a mawl full of sharp, wooden teeth. A vine wrapped around his form, then another, and another, until Twink was all but buried in leaf, trig, and vine.

“Run!”

Sparkle shivered. She wouldn’t have one clue how to get out of here. He knew that. But, without anything to possess, she could do very little to aid him or fight this thing...it was better if she ran into a horde of sleeping Guerrillas than stayed here, however.

“For once, listen to me!” He choked on a stem, then spat it out. Another vine covered his face... “I’ll be fin–"

His mouth filled with leaves. The last thing he saw was a vine reach for his young page, but it burnt to a crisp before it could completely wrap itself around her. He wished he had thought of that. For a moment, she glared at the malevolent tree, then spoke.

“I’ll be right back!” she promised. “Stay put, Twink!” Like he had any other choice.

The blue Star fled, zooming deeper into the forest as darkness overtook Twink.


	7. Family

For Geno, the next several hours were a whirlwind of activity. Gaz, embarrassingly, had to shake him awake again, his head had been drooping against his chest, the magazine still open on his lap, and a warm mug of tea thrust into his hands. Gaz had then informed Geno, with a furrowed forehead, that his daughters and some of his grandkids would soon arrive. Geno wasn’t sure if the Toad was more worried about  _ his  _ health or  _ his _ meeting said grandkids...which might also jeopardize his health, Geno supposed.

By the Heavens, just because he had fallen asleep again didn't mean he would fall to pieces at the first sign of trouble. He wasn’t  _ that _ weak, certainly.

"Pa! We're home!" A Koopa woman all but roared, shaking the foundations of the inn, slightly.

Geno placed a hand on the dresser to maintain his balance, his breath hitching in his throat. Whatever words she spoke next were lost in the tidal wave of voices. Gaz rushed to his side as though to aid him, but Geno pushed him away, shaking his head. It wasn’t the power of her shout that had jolted him.

"I'm fine," he said, still slightly rattled despite his words and thoughts. "You didn’t tell me she practiced magic."

He could sense it in the air. Vibrating, but surprisingly cool. Hers was not like the typical powers practiced by Koopas that mixed the elements of fire and earth, but the cold of water and light.

Intriguing. He lifted a hand to his chin.

"A healer?"

The Toad shrugged though his eyes were lit with paternal pride. "Peach set up an academy some years back and…"

The door, again, burst open, nearly flying off its hinges.

The Koopa, her hair still in a pink mohawk, stood in the doorway, holding a bundle of blue. Her mouth hung open. Her eyes, wide. A few wisps of smoke arose from her nostrils.

Very intriguing. A descendant of fire-breathing Koopas, too. He hadn’t expected that.

"Hi." Geno waved, and her mouth somehow fell open further. Heavens. He had thought Goombrietta was bad. "You must be Kim, I take it?"

She gave him a silent nod.

"I'm Geno."

Kim promptly fainted. A sigh from Goombrietta arose from behind the now fallen Koopa. The Goomba muttered a curse, but shook slightly with laughter.

"I  _ told _ you she always looked up to you."

"I'd call that  _ star _ struck," Gaz said with a grin. Thus bringing forth a chorus of sighs and groans, not just from the Goomba, but also from the small group that had begun to form in the hall just outside the guest room door. "What? I have every right to make dad jokes. I'm a  _ grand _ dad."

Why did mortal fathers have such a penchant for bad jokes? Geno rolled his eyes, more groans filled the hallway, and even a few shameful chuckles. A Toad with a shroom with yellow spots and curling hair emerged from the crowd, and knelt beside Kim. She placed a tanned hand on the Koopa's forehead, a worried expression knitting her brow.

"Are you alright, sweetpea?" she asked.

Sweetpea. Not sis? He glanced over at Gaz, or rather, where the old Toad had been, but he seemed to have snuck away in the chaos.  _ How is that possible? _ he wondered, briefly. The aging Toad's bulk should not allow him any kind of stealth. Geno straighten his back, trying to caste aside his nervousness and retain control. He could do this.  _ You've faced far worse than slightly overzealous kids. You'll be fine. _

Then the Koopa giggled, sounding more than a bit hysterical. "Clara. If your childhood idol just walked into your life like…"

"When we met Queen Peach at the academy..." The young Toad said in a small voice. "Technically."

Kim snickered. "I guess this makes us even."

The Toad huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know, I did not faint."

"I mean…that's beside the point."

"I tripped.  _ Tripping _ isn't fainting."

"Into a pile of s–" The Toad covered Kim's mouth. The Koopa scrambled free, then sat up. "Oh c'mon, it's a good story."

"I'm far more curious as to why Peach was near any...ah…" He paused, glancing at the kids behind the pair, and decided to tame his tongue. No need to teach them new words so soon, he supposed. "Poop." Giggles and snickers filled the hallway. A bad choice, it seemed. Geno forged ahead despite it. "She was never one to take on such...messy tasks."

"Such a princess," Kim remarked. "Reminds me of someone…"

The Toad nudged her with one booted foot. Hard. Thus producing an ouch, then a gallon of raucous laughter. "She does like riding horses, though."

"Hmmm, I recall that she mentioned that once."

"So, we met her in the stables. I had never seen a horse before. When Kim heard that, we...we kind of broke in and then Queen Peach caught us," Clara said, awe alight in her voice. "We were both orphans back then, and thieves, actually. Though I was never very good, Kim took me in about a year before, after my parents died in a boating accident. We were about fourteen, give or take a year. The Queen was the one who got in contact with dad, I'm forever grateful, don't get me wrong, but…"

"It's fine."

"I just  _ wish _ she didn't always have to bring up the...the...shit." She covered her cheeks with both hands once that word slipped out.

More laughter filled the hallway, and a few "mom said 'shit'"-s rebounded, too. Turning back briefly, she glared harshly at the gathered children, face pink as Kim's hair.

"Hey guys!" Gaz chose that moment to bustle back into the room. "It's time to break your fast." That jest got the expectant result. "Youngest first, oldest last!"

Cheers, and the crowd of small tykes ran back down stairs. He wondered if there would be any food left after the storm had passed.

"And not guests?"

"Seeing as most of us don't live here anymore," Goombrietta said, shrugging...her cheeks? Did a Goomba even have shoulders? "That wouldn't fix anything, and the kids are a bunch of smart alecks."

"I see," he said, slumping back onto the bed. "Next time, let's wait until  _ after _ breakfast, at least."

"Or," Gaz said, sitting on the bed beside him, "you could've left without meeting them."

Geno glared, then stopped. Gaz had brought a whole plate of food with him and placed it on his knees… Bacon...eggs...toast, if he were not made of wood, his mouth might have started to water. Instead, he clasped it shut.

"Oh  _ fine _ , I did get ya a plate."

He all but snatched it from the laughing Toad. He did  _ not _ gulp it down, but whatever Gaz and his children said over the next few minutes was lost to him. Sure, he heard words, but he hadn’t eaten since he left Star Haven, and after recovering from the initial Possession, he was ravenous.

"Wow," Goombrietta began, "you gobbled that down faster than Silva...and he's a Yoshi!"

"I do  _ not _ gobble." Geno folded his arms, and Kim let out a small squeal. At least there was no fainting this time.

The arm fold did not look so stoic without the cape, however. He suddenly felt...well...naked without it, thus he gathered up the nearest blanket and tossed it around his shoulders. Better, but not  _ right _ . For one, it was a terrible shade of garish green. For another, it was soft and fuzzy.

"Oh Stars!" Kim blurted out. She did not seem the least bit embarrassed by that oath, despite that a Star  _ sat _ in that very room with an empty plate of food in his lap. Geno gave the Koopa a flat stare, unamused. "That clashes so bad. Like supernova bad."

That simile, however, made him cringe.

Kim retreated to the farthest corner, picking up the blue cloth that had rolled behind the door when she had fainted. With a grin, she unrolled the new cape, eliciting gasps from Goombrietta and applause from Gaz. Clara just smiled. It was the same blue as the old cape, with the same star-shaped collar, and the same basic shape. Unlike the last one, however, it was trimmed with yellow embroidery along the bottom, each point marked with a decorative star.

It was almost too fancy for fighting, Geno mused. But as luck would have it, he doubted he would do any of that this time around. The worst that might happen to it was it might gather dust on the way to Toad Town.

"It's...amazing," he said, breathlessly. With great care, he took it from the Koopa, and wrapped it around his shoulders, fastening it tight. "Perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more about Clara T. and Kim. The former was born to two loving but poor parents who eventually died in a boating accident. She ran away from the orphanage, and eventually met Kim who taught her the art of thievery (or tried to, anyway). Kim never knew her parents, and her egg hatched alone in a dark alley in the capital of Lava Land. The rest is history.


	8. Escape

Sparkle, that night, came at last to a small town on the edge of the forest. That, however, did not give her relief. She couldn't feel that until she found help. And if she couldn’t find that...then...then…

Another person would be lost to her. Another friend. She didn't want to think of that. Didn't want to consider it. She wasn't that _ person _right now, who could stand up against evil and deal with such loss. She wasn't sure she could ever be her again.

She needed to find the Commander. Focus on that. Don't let the grief in. Don't give into exhaustion, either. She spotted a sign hanging on a peg next to a door with some kind of flower, she guessed, carved into the wood below the text. _ The Rose Town Inn_, it read in a swirling script.

_ I guess this is the right town, at least,_ she thought, as she slid past the door. _ Now, where is he? _

Sparkle almost left the inn behind when a familiar voice drifted out through the window. Though one she had only heard when he gave official orders or speeches and things of that nature. Still, she stopped. It couldn’t be. Why would an ancient Star Spirit choose to stay at a drab inn like this? It didn’t make sense. There were several better elsewhere in town!

"Tomorrow will certainly work," said that familiar voice, though it was far more tired than she recalled. "The quicker the better. Heavens know what kind of panic the Warriors are in due to my absence."

"Didn’t you tell them?" A strange, grey haired man with a mushroom cap on his head asked.

"Of course," he said, attempting to wave away the man's concerns with one scratched and scarred wooden hand. "I told my secretary to play the official orders once I left. They should be _ fine_. I'm just...worried, many were–"

Sparkle couldn't take it anymore. There had been no official orders. Nothing but that message from Dustar, as far she knew. Something had gone terribly wrong. She flew through the open window, slamming right into Geno's head and crashing them _ both _ into the nearby bookcase, scattering books and stardust everywhere.

"What in Underwhere?" The old man gasped. "_Another _ one?"

Pushing her off him, the doll stood and dusted off his fancy cape, a cape worthy of an ancient Star, she mused. He made to speak, but Sparkle rushed up into his face.

"Whatdoyoumeanyouleftamessage? Wenevergotnomessage! Dustar...thatblackhole…," she said, finally took a breath, then recalled why she had originally come. It wasn’t time to confront him about that. Still, his eyes grew improbably wide. Huh. For a wooden doll, this unit was surprisingly emotive. "Twinksintrouble. Hegotcaughtby… aneviltreespiritandnow…now…"

The young Star let out a sob, bopping against his chest. Like a mortal would, he wrapped his arm around her, until, at last, her tears had run dry. She felt like some miserable small child seeking comfort.

"You're Sparkle, right?" he asked. "Twink's page?"

She managed a nod, bobbing up and down slowly with the motion, still feeling out of sorts.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a slow, measured calm, taking a seat so she did not feel so small. "Start from the beginning."

She took a breath. "We were looking for you, Commander."

"Me?" he asked, head tilted slightly to one side, considering her. "That doesn't make...I haven't been gone for even a week."

She swallowed a nervous lump. "Captain Dustar ordered us to look for you...or, well, not exactly ordered. Kind of pushed Twink into agreeing to do it."

As soon as she said it, she gasped at this revelation. No. It couldn't be… Why would one of the Captains, even a jerk like Dustar, want to get rid of the Commander and his former pupil? Heavens. Were they conducting some type of evil scheme to take over the Warriors right now as they spoke? Maybe if she were a bit more attune to Star Haven politics, she would've been suspicious before she left.

Now she couldn’t help but shiver at the implications.

"This doesn't bode well," the strange man with the mushroom cap said. She'd forgotten he was even there. Thus she flew lower until only the top of her head and eyes were above the table, spooked. "Does this Dustar have anything particular against you?"

"He's a real blackhole, certainly." He paused, hand now on his chin in thought, eyes closed, too. "But no, nothing more than your regular everyday jerk who came to his rank in the old days, when raw power and funds met more than skill, expertise, and empathy." 

"Could be jealous."

"Except he's exceedingly loyal."

"To you or the Star Warriors?"

Geno turned his head and nodded, conceding the point. "Astute, but that would suggest he somehow talked numerous other knights into joining his cause. For a Star with the charisma of a pile of space junk, I can't see that happening."

"But that means…"

"We don't know." He shook his head. "We need to find...where is Twink, anyway?"

"Ummm. Forest Maze. We… he got caught by a giant tree monster."

"Sounds like a Stumpet," the man said."I would've thought Twink a better fighter than that."

She almost said something in the Knight's defense. Almost, but Geno spoke before she could get a word in.

"Was it a literal tree or just a stump?" Geno asked.

"Ummm. A...what's a stump?" Twink was right about that too, she really needed to familiarize herself with planetside etymology. She just hoped he could critique her again, later.

Geno sighed, folding his arms beneath his cape. "A tree that's been cut down. It should have no leaves, branches, or bole."

Sparkle shook her head furiously. "No. It...it...still had all of that. Probably."

"That...I've never _ heard _ of anything like that in there," the man said. "And I've lived by that forest my whole life."

"And how long was that, five years?" she asked.

"Sparkle."

"Fifty-six."

"Ha!" she said. "Fifty-nine."

They gave Geno an expectant look. He just rolled his eyes. She wondered, briefly, if he even recalled his exact age.

"If I were to hazard a guess, it might be the Spirit of the Forest," he paused, then frowned, closing his eyes as though concentrating on something. "There! He's faint, but most definitely alive."

"How did you sense him from so far away?" she asked, wide eyed.

She had lost any sense of the Knight long before she had gotten to Rose Town, but had used that sense to figure out direction while in the forest. She had guessed closer to Twink meant deeper into the woods, and the dimmer he felt meant she was getting closer to her destination. It had worked, eventually. Though, she had still been stuck in there another six full hours.

"You learn a few tricks after living six thousand years," he said with a grin, showing a mouthful of pristine, white teeth. "I was always good at tracking Star-related things."

"Better than me."

His smile faded to something sad and bitter. "You'll learn in time," he said. "Gaz." So that was the man's name. He had disappeared somewhere in the midst of their conversation. "Can you still fight?"

"But what about–"

"Yeah!" Gaz said, pulling a short sword from its sheath. With surprising elegance, he performed a thrust, blade making a perfect line with his arm. "My kids hate it that I continue to practice almost every day. Betty gives me an earful."

He sheathed his blade, hooking it to his belt next to a gun. She sensed a core of fire magic in its barrel, though she could sense no such power from the strange man who wielded it.

"Is there something I can do?"

"Stay here, page," Geno commanded, letting that familiar authority slip into his voice. Just because she was young didn't mean she needed protecting! Hadn't she proven herself enough? Thus, she glared and puffed her cheeks in response, but Geno raised a hand. "You're clearly too exhausted to be out in the woods at night. We're old hands at this. After all, Gaz _ is _ one of the heroes that helped Twink and I save Star Haven from Nightfall. Get some rest, we'll be back with Twink by morning."

As though to mark his point, a yawn escaped her mouth, and the pair were soon out the door and on their way. Leaving her to stay and wait, despite that she could swear she felt Geno's Spirit was weaker than it should have been…

Something more was wrong, but she was too tired to understand and fell into a fitful sleep on the nearest couch.


	9. Rescue

Something was wrong with the forest.

Geno could tell that from the first moment he took a breath of its humid, stuffy air. Instead of paths that confused and misled, the road was straight, wide, and empty. Not a single Buzzer attacked them on their way. Nor did a single Wiggler startle awake, though they did spot a few sleeping in the underbrush. Nor did any Guerrillas mount an ambush. The mushrooms did not care that the pair walked their forest on weary feet, instead, they peered from branch, on root, or in shadow, eyes unblinking, smiles unwavering, jagged lines across fat stalks.

He did not remember the mushrooms having smiles...or that malicious red tint deep in their dark eyes. So, he kept his left arm ready, prepared to pull back the hand and unveil its cannon at a single notice. Gaz, too, kept one hand on his sword and the other on his gun, though Geno wasn’t sure the fireflower-powered weapon was the best choice against an angry wood.

The enraged Spirit might not take well to a forest set aflame. 

The wide woodland path broadened, until, at last, they came to an impossibly large tree. Its lofty boughs rose high, then fell to the earth in a tangle of branches and leaves. Its roots snarled and snaked underneath, at times, intertwining with branch and stem. And, even without seeing its trunk, Geno sensed its spirit. It felt furious. No, incensed. Bitter. Ancient.

It nearly outshined the small Star it kept trapped near its heart. He could sense Twink now, at long last. He had merely hoped that the child might still live. That he hadn’t just come to take vengeance, after all. Geno had, simply, lied to Sparkle, for her own sake.

The forest's Spirit had led him here. It was far brighter than any star.

"Ya ready?"

"Let's get this show--"

A root sprung out of the ground, snapping at them. Geno rolled out of the way, and deeper inside the maze of tree limbs and roots. A moment later, more roots sprung up behind him and the branches above his head fell low, blocking Gaz from getting in and Geno from getting out.

Great. He really should've considered this possibility. Wasn't he wise enough yet to tell that this whole situation smelled like a trap? But, he could not leave Twink alone. He would not let that happen again. Not to another so young while he yet had the strength to stand.

"Are...are you alright?" Gaz asked, knocking on wood.

"Yeah." That didn't eliminate his deep sense of foreboding, however. No, it gnawed at him more, sinking its teeth into his back. He turned away from the makeshift barricade, staring deeper inside the array of snarled wood. The Spirit had cleared a path for him, though it bent and swerved through falling branches and upturned roots. He folded his arms beneath his cape around the sudden chill that overcame him. "I think it wants me to go alone."

A few shots sounded with a  _ fwoosh _ . The watching mushrooms did not bother even to jump in fear.

"Dammit Geno," The putrid smell of smoke filled the woods. The fireflower-gun wasn’t enough to burn through the barrier, however. "This isn't the time to turn heavenly philosopher!"

"And you're  _ not _ getting through," he replied. "I'll be fine."

A mushroom blinked. A few bounced closer, only to stare at him with obvious interest. One, even, bared a mouthful of pointy teeth. Not even that one attacked. No, they seemed happy just to watch him with beady, unnerving eyes.

Gaz cursed again. "I'll find another way."

Geno sighed, wishing that these kids would, for once,  _ listen _ to him. His instincts were honed by experience, this was an invitation, not yet a fight.

He would rather keep it that way. None of them were in shape to fight this Spirit, no matter how fiesty Gaz was, fifty-six was old for a mortal.

He had to accept that.

Thus Geno walked the path alone. His boots squished through loam, careful not to touch even a sliver of root or twig of stem on the narrow way. Ducking under a low-hanging branch, he came at last to the trunk. Here, upon a low pedestal of roots, Twink rested, unconscious, held in place by a pair of thick green vines crisscrossing his mouth. His body was pale, nearly white. His light, dim. Geno almost ran to him, this was his pupil after all, but stopped. The worst thing, right now, would be to fall for a trap.

He still did not know what the forest wanted, and it was a bad and dangerous thing to let a malevolent being like this know it had the upper hand. Thus he approached slowly, unsheathing the power of his spirit. It was a dangerous gamble, especially in a body as damaged as this one, but one he prayed, no,  _ wished _ , would pay off. Otherwise, they might both die this day, and he would not let that happen.

"I am here now," he began, starlight leaking from joints and cracks in the wood of the doll which held his soul. "For what purpose did you summon me?"

Slowly, the tree awoke. Two red eyes appeared on its face, and its mouth grew wide, showing a massive maw filled with sharp, wooden teeth.

"To make a request."

Not revenge, then. Geno pushed down his relief. That didn't mean they were safe, just on better footing.

"A request...then why did you capture my friend?" he asked, letting anger seep into his voice. "He is not a part of  _ this _ . Whatever feud you have with me, I will not speak until…"

The vines tightened around Twink's form, squeezing him tight. The small Star gasped for breath, turned blue. All this occurred before Geno stumbled forward and reached out to him, landing beside the young Star Spirit on bent knees. Then, the tree loosened its grip.

Geno caressed the young Star against his chest, relief bypassing all thoughts of appearing cool, in control, and unconnected. He glared up at the tree, wishing he could blast that damnable smile to embers and ashes. But no, the very thought was foolish. He would not win if he relied on brute force alone, in his current condition, they might all end up dead. 

"That is a warning, Star Spirit," it said. "The next time you challenge me, your seedling dies."

Seedling. 

_ This is dangerous. _ But the heart was a fickle thing; he had all but admitted this to Gaz, hadn’t he?

"What do you want?" he asked, voice quiet, yet it echoed loud through the maze of tree root, branch, and bough.

"A wish."

Geno looked up as though he could see the stars through the canopy of leaves above, then frowned. "Certainly," he replied, "a powerful Spirit such as you could get anything you desire…"

That did not deter it. "The Heavens do not listen to the whims or wishes of trees."

"I am a Warrior, not a Star who grants wishes. That isn't my forte, you could say." An understatement, admittedly. But every Star had their weaknesses.

"Yes," said the tree, "this I know, for I have seen your exploits in my forest before. Yet, I do not ask in vain, for you are old, even among your own kind. When you return to the Heavens, I would ask one thing…"

He gave it a nod. 

"To  _ rest _ . To sleep." And at that, the Spirit felt not just angered, but deeply, deeply tired. "To not wake again upon this green earth."

"You wish to die?"

" _ I have fulfilled my duty _ ," it said. "The Archive has served its purpose. It need not stay hidden any more."

Geno's eyes widened as understanding filled him. The Astra Archive had held the information they had needed to confront Nightfall. It had been protected both from the corrupt being and intruders, in case Eldstar had fallen before he could recruit help. That had made it a real pain in the butt to find in the deepest reaches of the woods. Now, however, it was no more. had originally assumed the forest had grown up around it long afterwards, most likely due to the ambient magic leaking from the Star-built structure. 

Now, bringing a hand to his chin, he reconsidered his hypothesis.

"You were created by Eldstar Ambrose, a second line of defense to stop any unwanted visitors to the Archive."

Once more, he was astounded by the late Eldstar's ingenuity and foresight. Marlin, who once held the position of Skolar, still had a ways to go before even standing in his predecessor's shadow.

" _ Second _ ?" the tree growled.

"First," he corrected, then bowed his head. No need to bristle the pride of powerful Spirits. That never ended well. And he did not want to risk provoking it to true wrath again. "I will speak with the Council on your behalf...if you free my young friend…"

The vines withdrew, and with that, it spoke one last word. "Promise." A vine sprouted forth in warning, fast and deadly.

"On the Rod itself." Something snapped in place in his chest. That phrase would bind him to his words. If he did not fulfill them quickly upon his return, his light would be snuffed out. Words like that, to take on a wish personally, had power over any Star that would promise to fulfill it.

The face withdrew, the anger stilled, though the forest still felt weary, tired. He could understand that, but did not let his mind dwell on it. Instead, he brushed a few leaves off his former pupil, laying a hand against his brow.

Twink did not wake. He scanned his spirit. Something was wrong. Poison, perhaps? He could not be certain…

Thus, he scooped the child into his arms and bore him from the forest, ignoring the questions that Gaz beggared on the road back to Rose Town.


End file.
